Knotted Grotto was an immersive installation in honor of the 2015 Papal visit to Philadelphia. This installation served as a communal spiritual sanctuary, engaging over 150,000 participants. Each participant wrote a personal struggle on a strip of cloth and tied it into the grotto. Participants could then untie another strip and walk with someone else’s struggles as an exchange of responsibility. Knotted Grotto was ultimately blessed by Pope Francis, allowing for thousands of people to feel a direct connection to the hope he embodies.

Many thanks to Project HOME, the commissioning party for this temporary work.